A few days later I sat down with my dad and we discussed my career choice. We read on Pixar's website what they expect from applicants and from that we made a plan on how I am going to go about getting a job for Pixar. We planned on me making some short films entirely in 3D animation, and we talked about creating a simple story that people could relate to. This is how my first project ties in.
My short film, 'Thirsty', is my first attempt at making a fully CG movie. I started the planning of the movie back in February and I have slowly been building models and storyboards for it.
Here is the plot summary of 'Thirsty.' A little kid with an active imagination wakes up in the middle of the night thirsty for a glass of water. Realizing he has to make the journey from his bedroom to the kitchen and back, his fear of the dark sparks his imagination. He's afraid that a monster underneath his bed will snatch him up and eat him when he gets out of bed, so he jumps down and runs away from the bed. He then cautiously opens up the door and steps out into the dark hallway, which, to him, appears to be miles long and engulfed in darkness. Inching his way down the hallway toward the kitchen, a nightlight plugged into the wall casts an eerie shadow and startles him, causing him to run the remainder of the way into the kitchen. Nervously he enters the kitchen, afraid that something will reach out from the shadows. Finally, he's determined to get his glass of water, so he gets ahold of himself and gets his glass of water. When he's finally satisfied, he turns to brave the journey back to his bed, deciding that it will be best to run and get it over with. Sprinting back to his bed, he's sure there's something following him in the dark, but he doesn't look back! He zooms into his room and jumps into bed before anything grabs him. Relieved, he's ready to fall back asleep, when he realizes with a start that he now needs to use the bathroom! The end.
Because I have been slowly working on it since February, I have some pictures to show of the process.
The Kid:
There he is, I used Vanellope von Schweetz from 'Wreck-it Ralph' as a reference. He is fully modeled and rigged so he can move and be animated. He doesn't have a name yet, if you have any suggestions for his name, please leave a comment and offer some suggestions.
The Kid's Room:
The room isn't yet finished, this is a test render I did of his nightstand, just this picture took over 28 hours to render due to the carpet, so I've decided on replacing it with wood floors for the final.
The Kitchen:
This is the kitchen. It, too, is not yet finished, but I really like how it's turning out so far.
I am about to do some animation tests for the kid, so when I have a few of those done, I will post an update. Wish me luck!
